Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Abraham Mondry - June 15, 22, 29 & July 13, 1992

So, you moved to this small town in New York. What did you do there?

I tell you, for six months I didn't do nothing, you see. The money started to get loose, you know, spend, you know. What was their name, somebody...the name. A big factory, pocketbooks, you know, it's like lady's handbags. What was the name? The Classy Lady. See, I'm so good, I remember the name...remember the name, Classy Lady Goods. Was ??? they make from plastic. So, I come down one time. I don't know English, I know a little bit. You know what to talk German, Italian. Hey fool, come on here, he called. The owner, his name was David Ash, was a ??? you know, change. He run away from New York, a sweat shop.

Hm.

From New York, you know and then the Depression. Every town people employee, a building a whole block. He tell me, "You want to learn?" Yeah, I said, "I'll learn." And one...one day he come up to me, "You want to learn to work on a machine...you know how to work on a sewing machine?" I said, "No, but I'll learn." So every time...Everybody...Somebody don't come in, he took me, showed me how to work. There was a German...former German Jew refugee too. He come before the war. The community, they got him out. And to me it was like a joke. He showed me what it's like to run, like split, you know, when there was ???...you know, with two needles? And I run it just like a professional. After a half hour, I had run the machine just like a joke, like I played...I played for...like a toy. So everybody think, he...he must be a ??? looked away.

What happened to your cousin in New York? He didn't give you a job?

I'm sorry, he had two daughters. They moved to Israel. She had a father and mother, whole family in Israel. They moved to Israel.